Chrome Treecko
by Cheese Nachos Supreme
Summary: Chrome is a normal human. OK, so at least she USED to, until she woke up one morning as a Treecko. Why was she sent to the Pokemon world? How will she get back to her world? Or will she even get back at all? Did she have anything to do with the natural disasters in the Pokemon world? Find out here!
1. Caterpie and the Earthquake

**~Chrome Treecko~**

**Chapter One: Caterpie and the Earthquake**

The blue Pokémon was walking alone in the Tiny Woods. He was small and cute-looking with his dark blue fins and orange spikes jutting out of his cheeks and a usually smiley face, but today, it was anything but smiley. He was deep in thought. He had a problem. The problem was that he had been interested in forming a rescue team for as long as he remembered, but it was just that he was so _timid_. It was noon in the Pokémon World - this was the only time he could be seen walking around in the woods. He wouldn't have had the courage to go into the Tiny Woods at night. How would he ever be brave enough to catch outlaw Pokémon and navigate mystery dungeons if he was too afraid to walk alone? And it was a problem he didn't see a solution to.

...

A Bug-type Pokémon with black and white butterfly wings was walking - err- flying - with her son, a small green caterpillar Pokémon. Unlike the blue one, they weren't scared to go into the woods at any time of the day. They were going to have a picnic in the woods, just like any other day.

Meanwhile, another Pokémon, a green one this time, was lying on the grassy ground. She wasn't moving; she was out cold.

Now as the blue Pokémon walked on, he saw a shape in the distance lying on the ground. A green shape. A Pokémon! With a gasp, he ran forward and looked at the Pokémon. Yup, it was definitely a Treecko. He had never seen any Treecko around these parts. "Wake up! Wake up!" He tried to revive the unconscious Treecko. "Come on, wake up! What happened?!"

The Treecko groaned and blinked and didn't answer. She blinked a few times more, obviously to focus her vision. But the first words she said completely took him off guard.

"Wait a second. You're a Pokémon."

Little blue one looked at her strangely. That was weird. Maybe she'd had a concussion? A bump on her head? Yeah, that must be it. Someone must have hit her on the head and now she was delirious. "What happened? Did someone attack you?" he asked again. It was another question that went unheeded because the Treecko held up an arm and stared at it instead.

"Wait. Wait. No. This can't be. Green skin? Three fingers?" She stuck her hand behind her back, feeling around for something. Then her eyes widened. "No way. A tail? No. That's not right. Not right at all. No. I can't have a tail. Maybe I'm dreaming. Yeah. Pinch my arm a bit here... Ouch!" She grimaced, and thrust her hand back again. "No! I've STILL got a tail! This isn't a dream. This isn't right. This just isn't right..."

She trailed off and stared at the Pokémon in front of her. He cocked his head and stared back strangely. "You're..." He said, "A little weird..." he shook his head. "Well, anyway, where do you come from? What happened? You were unconsious." With a groan, the Treecko replied, "That's just it. I don't know what happened to me and I don't live here. I don't even live in the Pokémon World." "What do you mean? You look like a totally normal Treecko to me." "That's just it," the Treecko repeated. "I'm not a Pokémon, or at least I wasn't - I'm supposed to be a human. Obviously I've been turned into a Pokémon for whatever reason."

The blue Pokémon frowned. A human turned into a Pokémon? How strange. "Well, I'm Mudkip Mizugorou, and you can call me Mudkip," he said. "What's your name?" The Treecko stood up. "I'm Chrome," she said. "That's a cool name," said Mudkip. Then his smile wavered. "...but what does it mean, exactly?" "What, you mean you don't know what chrome means?" Chrome looked shocked. Then she slipped into Dictionary Mode. "Chrome, a noun. It is the twenty-fourth element in the periodic table and is classified as a transition elem-"

She was interrupted by a sudden tremor. Not used to standing on her Wood Gecko legs, Chrome fell down again. "What was that?" gasped Mudkip. The next instant _he _was interrupted by a scream. "AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Mudkip and Chrome looked at each other. "Someone's in trouble!" exclaimed Mudkip and he began to run in the direction the scream had come from, followed by Chrome. They hadn't gone far when they bumped into a Butterfree, who was weeping and wailing. "Please, you've got to help my son!" she cried. "My son Caterpie and I got separated by the earthquake! He's lost in the woods!"

Mudkip looked determined. "Don't worry," he told Butterfree. "I'll go in and find Caterpie." He set off deeper into Tiny Woods. Then he turned back. "Are you coming, Chrome?" Chrome was silent. Should she follow Mudkip...? On the minus side, the woods seemed dangerous and there might be more earthquakes. But on the plus side, at least by going with him she was with the one character she knew in this strange world. "All right. I'm coming!" she yelled, and ran as fast as her Treecko legs would allow after Mudkip.


	2. Rescue Business

**~Chrome Treecko~**

**Chapter Two: Rescue Business**

As Chrome followed Mudkip deeper into the woods, she saw that there were a lot of wild Pokémon there. They seemed terrified after the earthquake and didn't really bother them.

Finally, in the deepest part of the woods, Mudkip and Chrome saw a weeping figure. It was small green caterpillar. "Caterpie! There you are!" Mudkip exclaimed, rushing forward. "Mudkip, look out!" Chrome suddenly shouted. Mudkip stopped just in time as a Cascoon suddenly fell out of the tree in front of him. Caterpie screamed.

"Don't worry, it's just a Cascoon," Mudkip told them. "They usually just Harden." "Not this one!" Chrome, a Pokémon gamer when she was a human, exclaimed. She did know that the most common move used by cocoon Pokémon is Harden, but _this_ agitated Cascoon suddenly tried to tackle Mudkip, who jumped back just in time. Caterpie was still shrieking and the Cascoon suddenly lost interest in Chrome and Mudkip and instead turned to Caterpie, who just couldn't stop screaming.

"Hey, over here!" Mudkip attacked with Mud-Slap, trying to draw Cascoon away from Caterpie. Turning around again, the Cascoon tackled at Mudkip again, who jumped away. The Tackle hit Chrome instead, who promptly lost her balance and fell down. "Ow!" she exclaimed. "So this is what being attacked in Pokémon battles feels like. It hurts." "Sorry!" shrilled Mudkip, who had reached Caterpie and was trying to calm him down.

Cascoon lost interest in Chrome and turned back to Mudkip and Caterpie. He jumped menacingly closer to them. "Chrome! Attack him while he's got his back to you!" Mudkip exclaimed.

Chrome stood up and faltered. "What? Attack him?" She was used to attacking Pokémon through her DS console, but not in real life like this! "Are you sure?!" "I'm sure!" Mudkip yelled back, stepping back with Caterpie behind him. "Now!"

Chrome took a deep breath and just... Well... Attacked. She suddenly shot a ball of green _thing_ at Cascoon. Surprised, Cascoon turned around to face her again, leaving Mudkip and Caterpie alone. "Great job!" Mudkip exclaimed as he attacked Cascoon with another Mud-Slap. "That was an Energy Ball, a Grass-type move. Not many Treecko know that move. Then again, I haven't met _that_ many Treeckos!"

Mudkip and Chrome took turns attacking, diverting Cascoon's attention again and again. First, he was focusing on Mudkip but then Chrome attacked so he turned to Chrome just in time for Mudkip's attack so he turned around again. Finally, Cascoon fainted.

"Are you OK?" Mudkip asked Caterpie. "Oh, yes," Caterpie wavered. "But the earthquake and the Bug Pokémon... They were both so scary!" "Don't worry, we're taking you back to your mother," Mudkip told him. "Yay! Thanks!" exclaimed Caterpie, and that seemed to mend his mood for he skipped all the way out of Tiny Woods.

"Oh! Thank you so much for rescuing my son," Butterfree burst out on seeing Caterpie. "Thank you so very much." "You're welcome," Mudkip and Chrome said and waved as the two hurried away, but not before overhearing Caterpie's remark on how he would go on rescue missions and help Pokémon in trouble when he grew up. That reminded Mudkip of his dream of making a rescue team.

That was when he got that great idea. "Um, Chrome, do you know where you're going to go or what you're going to do after this?" he asked. Chrome gave a start and thought for a moment. She hadn't thought of that yet. Since she was stranded in a strange world which was supposed to only exist in her Game Boy, DS, and Wii, she didn't know what she should do or where she should stay. "No. I don't," she sighed. But Mudkip didn't look the least bit sad. "Well then, would you like to make a rescue team with me?" he asked. "We'll go on rescue jobs and help Pokémon in trouble, just like how we helped Caterpie."

A rescue team, eh? Chrome thought. Hmm. It might be a good idea to go along with Mudkip until she knew how to get back into the human world. "OK," she said.

Mudkip was elated. "You will?" he exclaimed, his eyes shining. "Oh, great! Then we must think of a name for our team."

"A name?" Chrome thought for a moment. She couldn't really think of any. Then she suddenly remembered that in the game Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, Treecko and Mudkip are two of the starter Pokémon to choose from, given by Professor Birch. "I know! How about Team Birch?"

"That sounds great!" Mudkip agreed. "Team Birch, the rescue team! I like how it sounds. Well, our team needs a base, and... You also need a home, don't you?" he asked. Chrome nodded. A home was what she needed most at the moment. Mudkip thought for a little while but then brightened again. "I've got an idea," he said. "Let's go to the Pokémon Square and I'll show you something cool."

* * *

At the entrance of the Pokémon Square, Mudkip told Chrome to close her eyes and not to open them until he told her to. He guided her to a place until he said, "Stop! Now you can open your eyes."

"Isn't this cool?" Mudkip asked excitedly as Chrome did. "This was once an abandoned house, but I tidied it up a bit and it's been my own private clubhouse ever since. You can stay here, and this will also be our team base! What do you think?"

Chrome was still staring at the small but comfortable-looking house that was made of grass, wood, and leaves. The bottom half was squat, and the walls were curved until they joined at the top, almost like a dome. But the first thing Chrome said was, "It's a giant onion."


	3. Super Shocking Magnemite!

**~Chrome Treecko~**

**Chapter Three: ****Super Shocking ****Magnemite****!**

Chrome's eyes were still heavy when dawn came. She yawned but jumped out of bed. After all, she and Mudkip were supposed to start doing some rescue work. "I wonder where he is," she thought. "Has he even woken up yet?"

She was surprised and utterly astonished when she saw that Mudkip had fallen asleep right outside her door. He woke up with a start as the door nudged him when Chrome opened it. "Oh, sorry!" he exclaimed with a yawn. "I got here really early but didn't feel comfortable waking you up, so I decided to wait until you wake up. I must've fallen asleep." He yawned again. "All right! This is our first day of doing rescue work, Chrome! Let's see if someone's sent us any letters yet."

He ran enthusiastically to the mailbox in Chrome's front lawn and looked inside. Then his face fell. "Zilch," he sighed. "Zero. No one's sent us anything yet." "Well, we're a new rescue team," Chrome pointed out. "People may not have heard of us yet." "Probably." Mudkip tried to look upbeat again, but he was failing at it. Then he noticed that Chrome was staring at something behind him. "What is it?" he asked, turning around...

Just in time to see Pelipper the wandering postal carrier land on their mailbox and put something inside. Mudkip practically pounced on it excitedly, exclaiming gleefully, "Finally! Our first job!" He took out a letter, opened it, and began to read it. Chrome also did, looking over his shoulder.

To: Team Birch

Bzzzt! Please, we need your help! Our friend Magnemite has gotten lost in Thunderwave Cave. We other Magnemite are trying to find him, but we haven't had any luck. Please come and find our friend!

Reward: 100 Poké

The Magnemites

"All right!" Mudkip whooped. "Then we're off to Thunderwave Cave!"

* * *

Two Magnemite were waiting at the mouth of the cave. They seemed really worried and they were letting out small sparks of electricity. However, one of them perked up when he saw a Mudkip and a Treecko in the distance.

"Hello," said Mudkip once they reached the Magnemite. "We're here to find your friend."

"Bzzzzt! Thank you for coming, Team Birch," the first Magnemite buzzed. "We heard of you from Butterfree. She told us that you'd found her son Caterpie, so we thought you'd be good in finding Magnemite, too. You see, we were in the cave minding our own business when-"

"Bzzzztt!" The second Magnemite shocked him with a small bolt of electricity. "How are they supposed to get to work when you're keeping them back with your yammering?"

The first Magnemite blushed, as if someone had spray-painted red spots onto his steel body. "Oh. Bzzzt. Right. Sorry." "Don't worry, we'll find him," Mudkip told them, and he went inside with Chrome bringing up the rear.

The cave was crawling with Electric-type Pokémon. From her gaming hobby, Chrome knew that Electric-type attacks matched badly against a Grass-type like herself, but they were super effective on Water-types like Mudkip.

On and on and on they went, sometimes battling Pokémon that were blocking their way. It wasn't long before Mudkip found Magnemite. "There you are!" he exclaimed. "Are you OK?"

However, the Magnemite didn't seem to know what he was talking about. "Oh, no, I'm not the one you're supposed to rescue," he finally said when he understood. "I was merely going in to try to look for my friend." "So you're not lost, then?" Mudkip asked skeptically. "Bzzzt, no!" the Magnemite replied. "I can go back out just fine, which I think I'll do since you're here. Good luck!" Then he went off in the direction of the entrance.

Mudkip frowned. "OK, that was awkward," he said, but then went on their way. Some fifteen minutes later, Mudkip saw another Magnemite. This time, he didn't repeat the same mistake.

"Um, are you the one we're supposed to rescue?" he asked. "Are you lost?" "No," the Magnemite said. "I'm not the Pokémon you're looking for. I went in to try to find him. Speaking of going in... I think I'll go outside again and let you take over from here."

Mudkip and Chrome resumed their journey, but after finding two more Magnemite that weren't the right Magnemite, Mudkip had had enough. "Does the Magnemite we're looking for have any special characteristics that makes him different from the rest of you?" he asked the last Magnemite they ran into.

"Oh, him? BZZZZTT! Oh, how in the world he does! In fact, I'd say he's the most odd one out in our group," he chuckled. "How so?" Mudkip asked. "Well, first of all, his left magnet is a bit... Bent," the Magnemite said. "You know how we have magnets jutting straight out from the left and right?" "Yes," Mudkip said, staring at Magnemite's own magnets. "Well, the Magnemite you're looking for has a left magnet that's a bit bent to the front."

"Okaaaay," Mudkip said, although he wasn't sure he understood. However, Chrome was giving him small nods that indicated she did. "OK then, is there anything else?" "Of course there is," the Magnemite went on. "He likes to curse."

"Curse? Whaddya mean?" Mudkip asked in astonishment. "Oh, silly me - I meant, he likes to swear, but not with bad words or anything," he said quickly when Mudkip blinked. "Whenever he's cursing, or swearing, it always comes out as an adjective and a Pokémon name."

"What?" Mudkip burst out.

The Magnemite sighed. "Bzzzzt! Oh, you'll see soon enough when you meet him. I'll tell you this: you'll see that it's the right Magnemite the second you see him."

"Oh, all right," Mudkip sighed, and trudged on as Magnemite went back to the entrance.

"Swears using adjectives and Pokémon names?" Chrome mused. "That sounds a bit weird if I think about it. I wonder how that sounds if someone said it in real life-"

She didn't have to imagine any more, because the next second she and Mudkip heard angry voices.

"Hey, I said, keep thundering Tyranitar AWAY from me, you horrid Luxio! If you take any step closer, I'm going to jolly well cantankerous Camerupt pulverize you. Yeah, consider yourself warned, you jumping Jellicent freaking foe-"

"Yup. There he is," Mudkip said as he turned around a bend and saw a Magnemite being cornered by a Luxio. "And his friend was right. His magnet IS bent and he does swear with Pokémon names. Well, if we want to rescue him, we have to defeat that Luxio first." He ran over to him with Chrome following behind. But before they could attack Luxio, Magnemite beat them to it by using Discharge. It wasn't very effective on Grass- and Electric-types, but it was on Water-types.

"Hey! Stop!" Mudkip cried as Magnemite's Discharge felled him, poking him with pins and needles. "Stop!"

Magnemite finally saw what he had done. "Oooooops!" he exclaimed. "Bzzzzzt! Sorry, my bad! I meant to attack Luxio, not you! Hey, are you Team Birch? Did you find my friends?"

"Yes, but we'll chat later," Mudkip moaned as he stood up with Luxio training his eyes on them. "Luxio's now interested in me and Chrome!" "Bzzzzt! Whoopsy!" Magnemite simply sang while letting loose little bolts of electricity. "Sorry, my fault!"

As Luxio pounced, Mudkip and Chrome jumped out of the way. As they battled with Chrome scoring the first hit with Quick Attack, Magnemite simply danced in the sidelines singing, "Yeah, go, Team Birch! Come on, rancid Rapidash beat 'em up, that freakin' Luxio! Yeah, like that! Another freakin' Energy Ball and that should do it!" But it wasn't an Energy Ball that defeated Luxio - it was Mudkip's Mud-Slap.

"Brilliant," Chrome whooped. "Ground-type moves are super effective on Electric-types. Great move choice, Mudkip!" Mudkip grinned. "Thanks," he said. "Your moveset isn't too bad, too."

"WAHHOOOO! BZZZZZT!" came a voice from the sidelines. Magnemite looked ecstatic and he was spinning about like a top. "That was a great battle, you guys! You practically jumpin' Jellicent flattened Luxio!"

"Thanks," Mudkip and Chrome chorused. "Now, let's get you out of here."

* * *

By the time Chrome, Mudkip, and Magnemite walked out of the cave, there were a lot of Magnemite waiting at the entrance. They were obviously the ones who had tried to look for Magnemite inside the cave. They all cheered when they saw Magnemite emerge.

"Magnemite! You're back!" "Where exactly were you? We couldn't find you anywhere!" "Bzzzzt! Team Birch are real Pokémon-finders! They found Caterpie and now they've found Magnemite!"

Finally, a Magnemite gave them the prize money. "Bzzzzt! Thank you for finding Magnemite," he said. "Don't mention it," Mudkip smiled. "Just doing our job," said Chrome.

On the way home, Chrome and Mudkip were walking in silence when the silence was broken by some swearing with a combination of adjectives and Pokémon names.

"Hey! Bzzzzzt! Wait up, Team Birch! Oww! I giggling Giratina tripped over a freakin' tree root. Ugh, thundering Tyranitar, that frolicking Floatzel HURT! Hey, wait for me!"

Chrome and Mudkip paused and turned back to see Magnemite - the right Magnemite - rushing to catch up with them. "I've been thinking about it," he said rather breathlessly. "And you know what I came up with? I'd like to join your rescue team!"

"You what?" Mudkip asked.

...

That night, Chrome settled into bed, feeling tired but generally happy. With Magnemite around, their next rescue missions will certainly be more 'thundering Tyranitar' awesome!


	4. Tremors and Trickery

**~Chrome Treecko~**

**Chapter Four: Tremors and Trickery**

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

"HELLOOOOOOOO? BZZZZZZZTT! Chrome, are you leapin' Liepard awake yet? Or are you still ASLEEP?"

"Sshh, Magnemite, I think we should-" "What?! Bzzzzzt! You've got to be seriously stinky Stunky kidding me, Mudkip! Are you saying that we should WAIT until she wakes up?"

"Well, that's what I did yesterday."

Snort! "Pfffft-bzzzzzt! Nah! What if she's not an early bird, we'll never get around to do any rescue jobs!"

"Well, she can be an early bird too, you know, we just have to be patient. Yesterday she woke up pretty early; I think she should wake up at about... Now."

The door swung open, and Chrome staggered out. "What's going on-" she started, but Magnemite had already interrupted. "There you are! We were starting to think you'd never dancing Dragonite wake up!"

Mudkip mumbled under his breath, "At least that's what YOU thought."

Chrome sighed. She had been awakened by loud voices right outside her door. She should have known - it was their newest rescue team member, a mouthless loudmouth named Magnemite. "Fine then," she sighed. "If that's what you want, Magnemite, we'll start now."

"BZZZZZZTT!" Magnemite buzzed excitedly. "I hope we get a really challenging rescue job!" "But not too challenging, either," Mudkip told him. "We're merely beginners, remember." Magnemite was about to snort again when he was interrupted by a new voice.

"Hello! I couldn't help overhearing that you're a rescue team. In that case I've got a job for you. A really, really urgent and challenging one."

Chrome, Mudkip, and Magnemite looked around but saw no one who could have said that.

Suddenly the voice added quickly, "Whoops, sorry, my bad! I haven't made myself visible yet. Wait a second..."

Three heads suddenly popped out of the ground and Magnemite gasped in surprise, "BZZZZT! Jumping Jellicent!"

"Ah! That's better," the creature with the three heads said. "As I was saying... Where was I? Oh yeah, I've got an urgent rescue job for you." "What's that?" Mudkip asked carefully. "And who are you?"

"Oh, silly me!" The Pokémon gasped again. "I'm Dugtrio, and my mission for you is to save my son, little Diglett!"

"What happened to him? Where is he?"

"Oh, he wandered off to Mt. Steel," moaned Dugtrio. "Even though I've told him many times not to. You know how kids are. They've got more curiosity than could kill the cat. But he wandered off, and I'm afraid he has been... Kidnapped."

"What!" Mudkip, Chrome, and Magnemite burst out.

"Yeah, kidnapped by..." Dugtrio's three faces went grim, "...Skarmory." He said the name almost as if it was forbidden to be said out loud. Then he shuddered.

"Who's this fancy Flaafy freakin' Skarmory?" Magnemite demanded.

Dugtrio gasped, disappeared into the ground, and appeared a few steps farther from Magnemite. "You mean you don't know who he is?!"

"Skarmory, the Iron Bird Pokémon," Chrome 'walking dictionary-slash-Pokédex' said. "Their steel wings might look heavy, but they are actually very lightweight. They are capable of flying up to speeds of 180 mph."

"Is that fast?" Magnemite asked cluelessly.

"Very fast," Dugtrio said in a hushed voice. "And to top it all off, the one up Mt. Steel is very mean and nasty. People say he often kidnaps Pokémon who get too near to the top." He paused. "I didn't really see him actually kidnap Diglett, but his reputation says it all - some Pokémon vanished whenever they were getting close to the top, and that's where he lives, so yeah, you get the point."

"Thundering Tyranitar!" cried Magnemite. Mudkip's face looked grim but at the same time determined. "OK, we'll go up to Mt. Steel and get your son back," he said. "Don't worry."

Dugtrio swallowed. "Please do," he sighed. "And I'll try not to worry too much."

* * *

By noon, the members of Team Birch had nearly reached the top of Mt. Steel. Magnemite kept mumbling how he was going to 'smash the freakin' lights out o' that freakin' Skarmory guy'. Chrome and Mudkip simply walked on, hoping that Diglett was all right.

Mt. Steel is not somewhere you would go on an idle stroll. It was empty and bare except for gray rocks and more gray rocks. Maybe this is how Mt. Steel got its name?

Besides from that, there were constant tremors and quakes as if the mountain was about to cave in any second. At every tremor Magnemite would curse under his breath while Chrome windmilled her arms in order not to fall down. ("Maybe you could try putting all four legs to good use?" Mudkip suggested, to which Chrome responded, "They're not all _legs_, Mudkip, two of them are _arms_. Treeckos are supposed to be _bipedal_.").

...

Team Birch had almost reached the peak of Mt. Steel when Chrome thought she caught a movement behind one of the rocks. They turned to the source of the movement and saw a Mawile with its slender body, steel jaws, and mysterious eyes watching them from behind the rock. On seeing that she had been seen, she ducked back behind the rock.

"Excuse me?" Chrome called. "Is everything OK?" The mysterious Mawile said nothing and didn't reappear. "Hello?" Chrome repeated, and finally the Mawile decided to come out.

"Actually, no," she said softly, as helplessly as a tiny baby Vullaby. "Actually, I've got a bit of a problem..."

Magnemite sighed. "Let me guess. Does it have anything to do with Skarmory?"

Mawile's eyes widened. "Yes! How did you know?" Magnemite didn't directly answer and sighed, "Bzzzzt! Sheesh! This Skarmory guy's beginning to sound like a real troublemaker 'round these parts." "What's Skarmory done now?" Mudkip asked.

"Well, you know how there've been a lot of mini earthquakes these days," Mawile said. "One of those has caused my rock-clad home to cave in. The only other Pokémon I know who lives on this peak is Skarmory, so I asked him whether I could stay over until my house's been repaired or until I've found a new home. But hey, guess what! That Skarmory refused. He won't let me stay. He just said I can't, so I've been forced to look for temporary shelters to sleep in."

"Hmmph," Mudkip sighed. "I'm sorry to hear that. We'll go up there and find Skarmory and Diglett, and we'll see what we can do about your house problem after that."

"OK," Mawile cheered up. "Thanks!"

"Just doing our job," Chrome said.

...

A few moments later, Team Birch reached the peak of Mt. Steel.

"I wonder where Diglett and Skarmory are," Magnemite said, floating over to the center of the area. "Maybe-"

"Sshh!" Mudkip suddenly hissed. Chrome and Magnemite quieted down. As they stood listening, they suddenly heard a soft clanking sound. As if it was made by...

Steel feathers.

Mudkip turned around, was horrified by what he saw, and shouted, "DUCK!" The other two did as they were told without thinking, and they were not a second too late. The next instant, Chrome, Mudkip, and Magnemite could feel air whistling just above them as something with steel wings brushed just above their heads, its iron feathers would have smacked their faces at speeds reaching up to 180 mph if they hadn't ducked down.

"Jumping freaking Jellicent!" Magnemite gasped.

The iron bird landed lightly, its steel jaws clanking together as he spoke. "What's the meaning of this?! What are you trespassers doing here?"

"Oh, nothing but trying to find Diglett whom you've thundering Tyranitar _kidnapped_," Magnemite drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Then he looked at Chrome sheepishly. "That's him, right? The Skarmory character?" Chrome rolled her eyes but said yes. Oh that Magnemite! He accuses other Pokémon of wrongdoing before he makes sure it really was the Pokémon who did it.

"See? All right, you, tell us where Diglett is!" Magnemite demanded. "What are you talking about?!" Skarmory snapped back. "I have no idea what you're ranting on about."

"Bzzzzt! Liar!" Magnemite buzzed. "You've kidnapped Dugtrio's son Diglett! Now tell us where you keep him or I'm gonna have to rapid Raticate shock you!"

Skarmory's face suddenly went red as if someone had spray-painted red paint on the steel. "I still don't understand. I did see Diglett this morning - he was burrowing around as usual - but after that I haven't seen him again," he snarled, but Chrome thought she could detect something else in his eyes. Was it... Bewilderment? Confusion?

Magnemite shrugged. "Well then, you asked for it!" He began charging electricity until his magnets crackled with yellow energy...

"WAIT!" Suddenly Chrome jumped in front of Skarmory. "Magnemite, wait!"

"Huh?" Magnemite stopped charging and the yellow energy vanished. "Why?"

"I think Skarmory is telling the truth," Chrome said. "I'm beginning to think that he didn't kidnap Diglett after all."

"WHAT?!" Mudkip and Magnemite gasped. "But Dugtrio said that- he said-"

"Dugtrio did mention Skarmory's name, he did," Chrome agreed, "But he didn't say he was _sure _it was him. He even said that he actually didn't see him kidnapping Diglett. He was only saying that based on Skarmory's reputation. Since Pokémon have been disappearing once they get near the peak where Skarmory lives, stories have gotten 'round that it was Skarmory who kidnapped those Pokémon."

"WHAT?!" Mudkip and Magnemite gasped again, and this time even Skarmory joined in. "Other Pokémon have been labelling me a _kidnapper_?!" he burst out. "But...! But...!"

"But if he didn't kidnap Diglett, who did?" Mudkip wondered.

"**Hah! That's easy!**"

Suddenly a shrill voice rang out loud and clear, bouncing and echoing on the rocky walls. Everyone turned to see the owner of the voice...

And her slender body, steel jaws, and mysterious eyes.

"Mawile?!" Magnemite exclaimed.

"That's right!" the girl laughed. "ME! Sure took you long enough to figure it out!" She glared at Skarmory. "I'm fed up of your stuck-up behavior. Imagine that! You wouldn't even share your house with a friend who's lost hers! When I asked him whether I could stay here, he said NO!"

"But why did you kidnap Diglett?" Magnemite asked in bewilderment.

Chrome frowned at him. "I believe I know," she said matter-of-factly. "I believe Mawile wants revenge because Skarmory wouldn't let her stay. She was trying to give him a bad reputation."

"That's right," Mawile snarled. "I've been sleeping under temporary shelters made of rocks and the few leaves I could find. He's so nasty... And stuck-up..."

Suddenly Skarmory practically exploded.

"**Oh, like I haven't lost some of mine already?**" Skarmory snapped, his face getting redder by the minute. "I couldn't share my house with you, Mawile, because _half of it has already caved in_. Unless you don't mind sleeping under a pile of rubble, that is. If that's the case, then I'd be _delighted _to share my house with you."

"Your house has what?" Mawile lost her angry expression. She blinked. "Oh. Your house... has caved in too."

"Well, I'm glad that's solved," Magnemite huffed. "But what caused all these cave-ins in the first place? I believe that's the REAL problem here!"

The words were barely out of his mouth (OK, so Magnemite doesn't have a mouth but so what, you get the idea) when there was a sudden rumbling in the earth underneath their feet. Chrome had to take Mudkip's advice and use all four legs to keep from falling.

"There's your answer," she said, steadying herself. "Those tremors are what caused the cave-ins."

But the next second they stopped, followed by three heads protruding from the ground. "Hello! Have you found Diglett yet- AAAAAHH!" Dugtrio screeched when he saw Skarmory. "The kidnapper! What did you do to my son?!"

His question went unheeded because Chrome corrected herself, "I meant, _he's _the answer."

...

Dugtrio and the other Diglett-Dugtrio clan were the cause of the cave-ins. They had made so many tunnels under Mt. Steel and the space between the soil had caused the rock structures above to cave in.

That afternoon, Chrome, Mudkip, and Magnemite did a lot of things:

1. They helped repair the tumble-down part of Skarmory's cave in which he said Mawile could stay;  
2. They found Diglett who Mawile had hidden away;  
3. They helped the Dugtrio-Diglett clan move house to the part of Mt. Steel that didn't have as many rock structures on top;  
4. And they told Dugtrio a hundred times that no, Skarmory wasn't Diglett's kidnapper - he never was.

* * *

Magnemite whistled all the way down Mt. Steel. He was exceptionally happy when Diglett had told him that he'd also like to be a rescue team Pokémon when he was older, maybe even join in their team. He didn't seem to know that Caterpie had said the exact same thing to Chrome and Mudkip after the incident at the Tiny Woods.

Inside The House of the Giant Onion, Chrome was settling in for the night. Meanwhile, as the sun set over Mt. Steel, two Pokémon were also getting ready for bed. With Mawile on the east side and Skarmory on the west, the dying light of the sun bounced off the latter's feathers of steel, before dipping below the horizon.


End file.
